It's Summertime in My Book

Family Vacation Caribbean Style Summer 2011

As anyone who knows me even a very tiny bit knows, I love the summer.  There is nothing I don't like about it.  As far as I'm concerned, Memorial Day weekend is the official start of summer and Labor Day is a day of mourning.  Come Memorial Day your winter clothes are packed away and we can pretend we may never need them again. The pools are open! It's the weekend I look forward to the moment the football season is over.  It's the best!

I've thought about this a lot and know not everyone feels the same. For me, here some of the reasons I love everything about this glorious time of year...

Daylight savings!!!!!!!!!!!!  Staying light until 9:30...yes, please, absolutely, it's amazing...how can we make this happen longer?

Heat and Humidity - Yes that is correct, I said humidity.  That fantastic feeling when you leave your house or a restaurant at 10:30 at night and it's still 85 degrees and humid.  The air is close and heavy and your skin is dewy.  You can walk to get ice cream (another bonus) in the warm night air.

Summer Concerts - A country show at Pier 6 or Merriweather cannot be beat on a warm night.  Pier 6 cheap seats are the best...bring your own snacks and wine and you have a very inexpensive summer concert party. Next country show, come join us for a great time.

VACATIONS to the beach - No summer is complete without at least one week long trip to the beach.  Actually I'd go so far to say that no summer is complete without at least 3 beach vacations...one to somewhere wonderful, like the Caribbean, one to Fenwick Island and one to Dewey Beach.  All fabulous and all a must.  The feeling of warm sand between your toes is a must of every summer. To make the experience even better, stay on the beach until 7:00 pm one day. Don't rush to dinner...stay and enjoy the setting sun...if you've been to the beach with me, you know you have to drag me off.

 Anguilla Summer 2011

Grilling Out - You can grill everything in the summer...burgers, dogs, chicken, steak, veggies, avocado, crabs (maybe not on the grill but steamed in a pot connected to the grill), breads, fish, you name it. Everything tastes better grilled too.

Tan Skin - I know I know, tan skin is a sign of skin damage and causes wrinkles...but frankly I don't care.  Tan skin just looks better. Plus the sun is the best source of Vitamin D. As my Favorite Friend says, feeling the sun on your face is feeling God's kisses. I feel better with a tan, I feel like I look better and I'm OK with that...in moderation of course and not on my face...bronzer only.  Nobody wants to look like tanning mom.



Me and my Fave Friend - Vegas 2010

 Fruits and Veggies - Summer peaches...you know the kind where you bite into them and the juice rolls out and down you hand.  They are sweet and heavenly. Anything locally grown is so good it's almost indescribable...corn, tomatoes, cantaloupe, melons, cucumbers, beans. And a lot of fruit stands offer snowballs...an added bonus.  I'll take mine with marshmallow on top.

Don't let its location on the list fool you into thinking it's anywhere but on the top, Summer Fashion - Sunglasses, sundresses, beach hair, swim suits, shorts, jean skirts, tanks, flip flops, sun kissed highlights, white skirts/pants, fun hats, and wedge sandals, all complimented with sparkle lotion = Fantabulous!

Tiki Bars - The ability to sit outside on the water (or close to the water or using a hut constructed for the sole purpose of giving the illusion of island living) is something only the summer has to offer (unless you live somewhere it's warm all year).  Tiki drinks, like crushes, margaritas and sweet tea anything only serve to compliment this already superb experience.

Tiki Bar at Harpoon Hannah's Summer 2011

Summer Smells & Sights - Honeysuckle, fresh cut grass, food grilling, salty air, fireflies, chlorine, Coppertone suntan lotion, fresh basil, sunsets on the beach, softball games, a thriving garden full of vegetables, a campfire and smores....just to name a few.

Everyday is a reason to have Happy Hour - Enough said. :-)

Free Will Boat Trip Summer 2011 ~ Happy Hour

I rave about summer all the time. So much so that I'm pretty sure I get on other people's nerves.  But, simply put, it makes me happy.  It makes me want to celebrate life.  When I'm happy, I can't help but talk about it and I can't help but want to celebrate!

Did I miss anything on the list?

xo~Elizabeth

On the wall of Da Vida Restaurant - Anguilla Summer 2011

It's Okay Thursday

I've always loved this concept. I believe Glamour magazine typically had a page dedicated to, "It's OK to...." and I've had a list of these things forever.  Today, 2 blogs (http://mkinwonderland.com/2012/05/its-okay-thursday/ and http://www.acompletewasteofmakeup.com/) wrote about things it is okay to do. So I'm shamelessly borrowing their idea and doing one of my own.

So here goes...It's okay...

To carry and use your own, very specific kind of gel pen to fill out forms of any kind, sign checks/receipts or write anything down because you hate using crappy Bic pens or any other less than fantastic writing utensil.

To not wash your hair every day or even every other day. It's not dirty...even if it gets sweaty. The sweat adds a little touch of beach-hair appeal that you can only get on vacation.

To not get the gel manicure.  Yes it's amazing that it last 2 weeks...but it's also a huge pain to get off and my nails grow super fast.

To still hope that Brenda and Sonny get back together for good and ride off into the sunset. And to have a friend who hopes that same thing and she loves you more for it.

To be beyond thrilled that the summer time is almost here...sun, fun, humidity, beaches, vacations, boat drinks and yes (gasp) getting a tan!

To believe age truly is a state of mind and believe you are never to old to do what you want, be who want and go where you want.

To sing loudly to anything Taylor Swift and be happy about it.

To not really be into the latest book craze....50 Shades of whatever, The Killing, I mean Hunger Games.  Keeping up with great blogs is just as good, maybe better.

To be 10 years into a career and still not know what you want to be when you grow up.

To use chemicals for the sake of anti-aging and beauty and still be a supporter of all things green.

To take the high road, be kind, be understanding or not participate when everyone else is choosing to be the opposite of kind and understanding.

To treat your dog like the person you know she is.

To watch Beverly Hills 90210 reruns on Soapnet and enjoy every minute of them...the characters, the fashion, the terrible (yet amazing) acting, and the plots.

To refuse to wear peddle pusher pants (even if they are in style) because they bring flashbacks of when they didn't make tall or long pants and normal pants where unfortunate looking peddle pushers.

To have an addiction to Starbucks. What? Doesn't everyone want to stop there twice a day?  I think yes.  Don't judge me.

To keep searching for that perfect...shade of eyeshadow, pair of sunglasses, little black dress and/or shoes...you just might find them.  If not, it's sure fun looking.

To not give up on things you think about every day. 
To know that you might not be where you want to be but you are where you are supposed to be.
To do something everyday, just for you.
To never settle. 

It's okay...

xo~Elizabeth

Taking Chances

“Sometimes you have to take the leap and build your wings on the way down.”  I found that quote by Kobi Yamada, carved into a decorative stone at the General Store in Myrtle Beach in the summer of 2006.  At the time, I was going through some major changes in my life and the poignant words grabbed me. Those words were appropriate then and they are appropriate now.

I bought the stone but very shortly after I got home, I gave it away to someone who needed it more than me. I called my mom immediately and asked her to go back to the General Store and get me another stone because, while the words would have stuck with me even without seeing the stone daily, I wanted to see and read the words daily. They are a pleasant (and sometimes necessary) reminder that I don’t always have to have it (my life, the answers, my plan, etc.) perfectly together at all times.

On Friday I took a chance and made my very private blog, pretty public.  I had shared it with a few others prior to sharing it publically FB.  The few I shared it with were not necessarily closer to me then some of you reading this entry now.  But, when sharing something so personal, it can be harder to share such private thoughts with those closest to you. I got feedback from a few of those not so close peeps and then I shared it with a few of my closest friends. I wanted to get a few close friend’s opinions before BAM, putting it out there.  I asked everyone to give me their honest opinions.  So far all the feedback has been very awesome…so thank you very much. J

I decided to take the chance and put my blog out there for all of cyber space to see.  Not because I needed anyone’s approval, anyone’s praise or anyone to even read it.  I put it out there because it’s what I needed and wanted to do for me.  Often it’s hard for us to do things for ourselves.  Those of you who are mamas can really understand this…you rarely, if ever do things, just for you. And, if you do, it’s likely you feel guilt about doing whatever it is you did for you, even if it’s exercising, showering or eating a complete warm meal.  I felt that same completely unnecessary guilt.

I put my thoughts out there and then had this major, whoa moment.  What if it’s too public? What if people hate it? What if people roll their eyes reading it?  What if those I’m writing about don’t want to be written about?  What if I’m not being mysterious enough?  What if I have typos?  (I hate typos.) What if I say something I want to take back 5 minutes after it’s posted?  What if I accidently hurt someone’s feelings? What if, what if, what if????

After my whoa moment, I thought about who I am, why I write and my intentions for the blog. I thought about how I felt the first time I wrote…it wasn’t that I wanted to write it; it was more I had to write it.  I literally stopped everything else I was doing to write that first entry.  I thought about the public nature of this venture.  And, I thought about why I wouldn’t do it or for what reasons I would take it back.  And, you know what I came up with?? I’m writing this for me, my intentions are good...I want to share, laugh, connect, celebrate, sympathize, engage, honor, love, have fun and respect, I’m writing from my heart, I am who I am and I really don’t care who doesn’t like it. Those who don’t like it do not have to read it…hide me, delete me or ignore me. It’s ok…I’m not for everyone and that’s perfectly ok.

At the end of the day, I believe, we have to be true to who we are to truly be happy in this thing called life.  We all know, the ride is short and no day is ever promised.  Those who truly love you will support you.  We have to take the time to honor ourselves, respect our desires and enjoy the ride. Sure there are risks, potential pitfalls or worse, there could be typos.  We might make mistakes. We might receive criticism.  Not everyone will agree. We might not get back what we put in. We might not feel 100% confident in every single decision. But we could what if forever and get no where.  Being true to you isn’t always easy and it’s not always fair to everyone all the time.  It can be hard, risky and scary.

But, we still have to take chances.  Doing so may lead you right where you are supposed to go.  You might get way more out then you put in.  The risks could turn into numerous rewards.  The possibilities could be limitless.  The potential can far outweigh the what if's. And, I don't want to leave this world with a long list of, "I wish I hads" so, for me, that may mean taking the leap and building my wings on the way down. 

Happy Reading!

xo~Elizabeth

10+ Joys of Dad Visiting

My Dad comes to Maryland every now and then to visit and help my sister and me with home projects.  He and my mom retired to Myrtle Beach (home of the newlywed and nearly dead) about 10 years ago.  He loves golf and she “hates every flake that falls” and is working in a doctor’s office (she always wanted to be a nurse), so it’s a perfect place for them.  We see them for most holidays and they come to visit fairly regularly to see us or more accurately to see my most fantastic nieces.

Since I am not married and I’m completely uninterested in doing my own home improvements (don’t get me wrong, I’m sure if I applied myself, I could do them but I really hate Home Depot and let’s just say my affinity for tools other than those of the hair-styling or make-up application variety, is, well, less than admirable) he comes to stay with me and help me with handyman types of projects.

He’s been here since last week and he came with a mission.  At Christmas, he came to the house to survey the land…aka, take down the list of “Daddy-do’s” and compile his own list of tools and supplies to bring back to complete said list.  Upon his arrival, I was quickly reminded of the joys of having him…

1.   He cooks us delicious dinners and it's ready whatever time we get home from work, 5pm, 8pm, 11:30pm or 7:30am. 

2.   He painted my bedroom in a matter of hours and I didn’t have to step my toe into Home Depot. Awesome. 

3.   He custom built an under the sink cabinet for my bathroom for all my girl bathroom stuff. 

4.   He knows how to hang anything on any kind of wall, neatly, on the first attempt, and it's straight. 

5.   He cleans up after all of us…me, him, Sara and the dog. 

6.   He walks the dog, plays with dog, talks to the dog and now she sleeps with him instead of me. 

7.   I'm not nearly as scared watching crime-based TV when he is there (and there is A LOT of it). 

8.   He's about as low maintenance as it gets...he's happy with store-brand root beer, hot dogs, my mom's Nook for NetFlicks and HD TV. 

9.   He shares my love of spicy foods, cheese on anything, seafood and sweets. 

10.  He senses when to talk and ask questions and when to hold his questions for  another time...girls you know what I'm talking about. 

11. I can't remember many other times (like when he worked 14 hours a day or I wanted him to drop me off at the back door of the mall so my friends didn't see us together) when we could just hang out...no pressure, no rushing, just hanging out and spending time together.

I asked him how long he planned to stay and his response was, “I’ll stay as long as your mother lets me.” It’s likely because he can do most things at my house on his own time and in his own way. He’s retired and he likes to do what he wants to do when he wants to do it.  I can’t wait for retirement, btw. I don’t remind (or nag) him to take his medicine (don’t worry Mama, he takes it every day), the food in MD is amazing (Old Bay is hard to find in MB) and he’s hanging out with us girls. Just as I have 10+ joys of having him, I suspect he has joys when it comes to hanging out with us.

I also suspect that my mom knows all of the above mentioned joys (very well) and that's why she wants him back.  Hang in there Mama…he’ll be back, but not before Tuesday as we have some sweet tickets to the O’s/Yanks game next week. Oh and that’s yet another reason he’s great…he’s an avid in sports fan like me (heck it’s just he and I that even watch sports in our family) that is up for any game anywhere anytime. And, at the Yard, they have all of his faves...they even have hotdogs topped with crab mac and cheese, otherwise referred to as Hotdog Heaven.  On second thought, he just may stay a while longer.

Love him!

It’s Mother’s Day weekend, and let’s face it girls, there wouldn’t be Mama’s without Dads.  I’m very blessed and thankful to have both.

Happy Mother’s Day!

xoxo ~ Elizabeth